Murilo "Ninja" Rua is looking forward to a busy spring. The brother of UFC's "Shogun" and a former EliteXC middleweight champion, Rua is eyeing fights in the coming months at DREAM.13 and Shine Fights 3.

In this exclusive interview with MMA Fighting through a translator, Rua talks returning to fight in Brazil, his younger brother's rematch against Lyoto Machida and his own upcoming fights.

Ray Hui: What was your decision to sign with Shine as opposed to fighting for Strikeforce?

Murilo "Ninja" Rua: I think Shine has the potential to be one of the most exciting MMA shows in the world. They are signing some very talented fighters and have interesting plans, so why not join them? They treated me with respect and presented me a great opportunity, and I'm very happy and looking forward to fighting in Shine. I think Strikeforce is also a great promotion, but right now as far as America goes I'll be fighting for Shine Fights, and they will allow me to keep fighting in other countries like Brazil and Japan.

Hui: Are you still with DREAM?

Rua: I still have two fights left in my DREAM deal, and I'm looking forward to fighting on their next card in March.